Language analysis (LADO)
Forensic analysis of recorded speech to assess a speaker's likely region of origin, prepared by native-speaker analysts.
Sector: Immigration and asylum
Language services for immigration and asylum cases
SILA Linguists provides interpreting, certified translation and expert language analysis for immigration solicitors, advisers and decision makers, where a person's future may depend on what is understood.
Asylum and immigration cases rest heavily on testimony and documents produced in other languages. Interviews, statements, appeals and fresh claims all call for qualified interpreters and translators in languages such as Arabic, Kurdish Sorani and Kurmanji, Pashto, Dari, Farsi, Tigrinya, Amharic and Somali, matched to the claimant's own variety.
Accuracy here is not only linguistic. Dialect, regional vocabulary and cultural references can affect credibility findings, so the interpreter must match the claimant's language variety, not just the language name. SILA Linguists matches interpreters by dialect wherever possible and provides certified translations of identity documents, civil records and supporting evidence.
Where origin is disputed, our forensic linguists prepare Language Analysis for the Determination of Origin (LADO) reports and nationality assessments. None of our LADO reports has ever been successfully challenged. We also verify documents where authenticity is in question.
What this sector needs
Language challenges in immigration
Dialect-matched interpreting
A Kurdish Sorani speaker from Iraq and one from Iran, or a Sudanese and a Moroccan Arabic speaker, need interpreters who understand their variety precisely.
Credibility and consistency
Small interpreting errors in a witness statement or interview record can later be presented as inconsistencies in the claimant's account.
Certified civil documents
Birth and marriage certificates, identity cards, police and court records need certified translation accepted by the Home Office and tribunals.
Disputed origin or nationality
When documents are missing or doubted, independent linguistic and nationality evidence can be decisive.
Trauma-aware communication
Interpreters must handle accounts of persecution, violence and loss calmly and accurately, without adding or softening anything.
Document authenticity
Decision makers and representatives sometimes need expert checks on whether documents are genuine before relying on them.
How we help
Services for immigration
Nationality assessment
Expert assessment of a person's claimed nationality and background knowledge, used alongside or instead of language analysis.
Interpreting for legal advice and hearings
Face-to-face and remote interpreters for client conferences, statement taking and First-tier and Upper Tribunal hearings.
Certified translation
Certified translation of identity documents, civil records, court papers and evidence for immigration applications and appeals.
Document verification
Specialist checks on the authenticity of identity and civil documents from many countries.
Transcription of interviews
Transcription and translation of recorded interviews and audio evidence.
SILA Linguists®
Interpreting, certified translation and language analysis for immigration with SILA Linguists®
Our vetted, trained and qualified interpreters and translators can support immigration solicitors, advisers, charities and decision makers when a person's future may depend on being understood. Face-to-face interpreters attend asylum statement preparation, adviser appointments, age assessment interviews and First-tier and Upper Tribunal hearings, and visit detention and reporting centres. Beyond the UK, they are prepared for hearings in US immigration courts, Canadian immigration and refugee proceedings, and immigration matters in Australia and New Zealand. Remote appointments run by video remote interpreting or by telephone, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We match dialect and region carefully and, where trauma or gender-based harm is involved, you can request a female or male interpreter.
Our certified translation service translates birth, marriage and death certificates, passports, identity cards, police and court records from abroad, school records and supporting evidence, each with a signed statement of accuracy accepted by the Home Office and other UK authorities. For visa and settlement applications abroad, a translation for the United States carries a translator's certificate of accuracy, as US immigration authorities expect; in Canada, where a certified translator is required, SILA Linguists® arranges translation by a translator certified by a provincial association; and where Australian authorities require NAATI-certified translation, SILA Linguists® arranges it through NAATI-certified translators. Recorded interviews and voice evidence go to transcription with time stamps and translation. Names, dates and places are transliterated consistently across a bundle, so the same person is never spelt three different ways.
SILA Linguists® also provides language analysis for the determination of origin (LADO), carried out by qualified analysts working with native-speaker linguists, and nationality assessment for complex cases. These services are available to the legal profession, to the public sector and to charities and NGOs supporting refugees. Typical immigration languages include Arabic dialects, Kurdish Kurmanji, Kurdish Sorani, Pashto, Dari, Tigrinya, Amharic and Farsi, among more than 350 languages and dialects, available for clients in the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. All files are handled confidentially under NDA and UK GDPR.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can you provide an interpreter who speaks the same dialect as my client?
Usually, yes. Tell us the client's country, region and any dialect or ethnic group when booking, and we will match an interpreter with that variety wherever possible from over 6,500 trained, vetted and qualified interpreters and translators.
Are your certified translations accepted for immigration applications?
Our certified translations include a signed statement of accuracy and are accepted by UK authorities, including for immigration applications and appeals.
When is a LADO report useful?
When a person's stated origin is in doubt and documents are missing, disputed or unreliable. A LADO report gives independent linguistic evidence about where the speaker's language use places them. None of our LADO reports has ever been successfully challenged.
Can you verify a document before we submit it?
Yes. Our document verification service checks identity and civil documents for signs of alteration or inconsistency, which helps representatives and decision makers avoid relying on questionable evidence.
Get in touch
Tell us the language, the format and the date
Our bookings team will confirm the details with you and arrange the right linguist. Have the language (and dialect, if you know it), the type of assignment and the date ready.